UFC 321 disappointed many fans, with Paddy Pimblett going so far as to call the card one of the worst major shows the promotion has ever put on.
On paper, last Saturday’s pay-per-view event seemed to go well. Tom Aspinall was scheduled to make his first defense as undisputed heavyweight champion against Cyril Gane. Vilna Jandilova and Mackenzie Dern will fight to take back the crown left by Zhang Weili. And Alexander Volkov, Geirton Almeida, Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista competed in high-profile bouts with legitimate spots on the line.
But all hell broke loose at the end of the night when Aspinall vs. Gane ended in a no-contest, with Aspinall getting poked in the eye and unable to continue. The crowd at the Etihad Arena booed Cage and social media was cruel to Aspinall and Gane, who were tied after less than five minutes.
Pimblett posted his reaction to the finish and the card itself, but his review was unkind.
“If it ends like this, this will be one of the worst pay-per-views in UFC history,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “One of the biggest disappointments ever with this card.”
Objectively speaking, Pimblett’s point is spot on. Because this was the first UFC Championship main event to end in a no contest. UFC 214 is also scheduled to feature a no-contest, the much-anticipated light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, which was initially slated for a knockout victory for Jones, but the bout was later overturned after Jones failed a drug test.
Volkov defeated Almeida in a snoozer and Nurmagomedov put up a hard fought fight but likely fell short of the clear No. 1 contender at 135 pounds, a disappointing cap to an eventful card.
“Qualifying to the start wasn’t bad,” Pimblett said. “The big heavyweight (Balter Walker) lands another heel hook, the Australian kid (Kiran Sarkild) knocks out Nasrat (Haqparast). Even in the first fight on pay-per-view, a 15-0 undefeated guy (Azamat Murzakanov) knocks out (Alexander) Rakic. I thought this was shaping up to be a great card, but Almeida just gives it a try.” Holds Volkov down like it’s a grappling match. Volkov won, but it was a boring fight. Umar vs. Bautista then had an exciting match lasting about 20 seconds over 15 minutes, but it was another boring match that Umar won by decision.
“Mackenzie Dern and Jandiroba, the co-main event wasn’t too bad, but everyone was looking forward to the main event, Aspinal Gane. It looked like it was going to be a great fight, but then with 15 seconds left in the round, he got poked in the eye and went blind. I really don’t know what Tom was going to do there. If you can’t see, you can’t fight, right?
One thing Pimblett will never do is join the chorus of critics criticizing Aspinall for not getting over the foul. In Pimblett’s eyes, Gaen was primarily responsible for how UFC 321 ended.
“‘Don’t climax’ John Anik, you’re not wrong,” Pimblett said. “I think they have to bounce back. There’s no way they don’t have that fight again. It was shaping up to be a good fight. It was the best test Toms has ever had in the UFC.”
“I feel bad for Tom. I feel bad for Cyril Gane. Even if it was his fault and it wasn’t intentional, it’s still his fault that the fight doesn’t last. You can’t do it with your fingers, so you have to do something with your gloves.”